Interview with Michael Fowlkes from "History of Sportfishing"

What inspired you to make this series? (History of Sportfishing)  

I grew up watching classic Warren Miller ski films and even got to see Bruce Brown do a live narration in Orange Coast College gymnasium for the Endless Summer.  Those films left such an impression on me that a seed must have been planted way back then about someday trying to tell the story of the history of sportfishing in a similar action driven surf/ski format, aka Ken Burns meets Bruce Brown, for sportfishing.  The original idea was for a single 75 minute film, but as the IGFA, Trout Unlimited, American Sportfishing Association and dozens of other like minded organizations who are committed to clean waters, protecting the environment and healthy fisheries heard about the project, one after another opened up their film and library vaults, giving us full access to so much great content the project took on a life of itself and organically grew into what it is today. 

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while making this documentary series and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge initially was convincing family and friends that this was a worthwhile project and then raising the funds to make it happen.  If it wasn’t for a very small handful of individuals who believed enough in me and my vision to write checks, it would have never happened.  Once I got rolling the most difficult part was trying to keep over 400 TBs of raw footage, stills, data and images organized so I knew where a particular shot or footage was when I needed it.

For those new to sportfishing what do you hope they get from this series?

Bottom line, the sport is under threat by some well intentioned and very well funded extreme environmentalists that don’t know the difference between unsustainable, wholesale commercial harvesting techniques that are raping our oceans and sportfishing anglers who have lead conservation efforts since the late 1890’s.  The message we tried to convey throughout the entire series, is that fishing is a part of America’s soul and you simply can not hurt a fishery with a rod, reel and a piece of string.

Did you discover anything while making this series that surprised you?  

I was constantly astonished by the rich history of sport almost daily.  I grew up fishing the rural streams, rivers, lakes and ponds of Virginia since the time I could walk.  Started working on the sportboats in Newport when I was only 9 years old.  As I got older I thought of myself as a pretty well rounded, educated and passionate fisherman, but honestly I didn’t have clue about what it took for what was an act of survival back in the day, for the sport to evolve into what it is today.  One of the most fascinating facts is that our country's founding forefathers were all fly fisherman.  They formed a club in 1732, called the Schuylkill Fishing Club, just outside of Philadelphia where over the years they’d meet in secret because had they been caught talking about American independence, they would have been hanged by the British.  These were the men that actually wrote the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. 

Any advice for those looking to get into film making?

Follow your passion.  Film what you know and love and don’t ever let anyone tell you, you can’t do it.  It’s a brutal business, but the rewards are beyond words.  Not necessarily financially, but spiritually doing what you love for a living is the greatest gift you can give your soul and those that love you. 

Check out History of Sportfishing for the series and to learn more.